Family Storytime (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: As the wait for Niblet continues, Catherine and Steve spend some time at the library and with the Allen family. (Part 5 of the REAL World Baby Marathon)


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – Crazy how time flies when you're having fun with la famiglia!

Readers and REAL McRollers – We know how excited you are for the big day and we promise it'll be worth the wait! Thank you for your support and enthusiasm! We have LOVED reading all your guesses on Niblet's name and birth date. Keep them coming!

Possible tissue warning for ToZiKa. I swear I didn't do it on purpose!

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Family Storytime (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"Well, hello there." Miss Kristin smiled brightly at the group approaching the storytime room.

Joan was in front, holding Aaron's hand and looking around excitedly.

"Dis is stowytime?" she asked. "Where's Mistaw Mike?"

"Mr. Mike is back home at our library," Aaron told her. "Remember? This is Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath's library."

Joan looked back at the rest of their group who were trailing behind in deference to Catherine's slow pace. "Dis is your wibwawy, Unca Steve?" she called.

"Shh," Aaron reminded her, swinging her up into his arms.

Kristin smiled. "Hi, Joan. I'm Miss Kristin. You came to storytime with your aunt and uncle a long time ago. They've told me you love going to storytime back home in California."

Joan nodded. "I'm fo-wa. I go to pweschool."

"In a couple months you're going to preschool," Aaron corrected with a grin. He smiled at Kristin. "I'm Aaron, nice to meet you."

"Aawon's my daddy," Joan said matter-of-factly.

Kristin smiled. "Nice to meet you." As the rest of the group reached them, she sighed sympathetically at Catherine. "Still no baby, I see. The Allens were in yesterday and Jacob told me Niblet wasn't here yet."

"She's waiting till she's good and ready, as my grandmother keeps telling me," Catherine said, running a hand over her belly. "But I needed to get out of the house," she glanced at Steve beside her, "so we thought we'd come along to storytime with Joan." She motioned to Mary. "This is my sister-in-law, Mary, Joan's mom. It looks like you met Aaron."

"Joan's daddy," Kristin confirmed with a wink, causing the others to smile knowingly at where she got her information.

"And this is my mother, Elizabeth."

"Very nice to meet you," Elizabeth said.

"Wow, and people say I look like _my_ mom," Kristin said, amazed.

Catherine and Elizabeth smiled.

"Gwamma Ang is pwaying bingo," Joan said, unprompted. She nodded happily. "She's gonna win."

They all laughed, and Catherine said, "My grandmother has found all the weekly bingo games and has kind of an unnatural winning percentage."

Steve grinned. "If she's not careful, they're gonna run her off the island for taking all the jackpots."

Elizabeth shook her head in amusement. "Happens everywhere we go."

"Well, no bingo here, but we do have storytime," Kristin said, smiling invitingly. "Go ahead on in and find a good spot, we'll be starting in a few minutes."

"Yay!" Joan cheered. "Stowytime! Wet's go!"

* * *

"Good listeners!" Kristin said enthusiastically as she finished the book _Everybunny Dance!_

"Da bunnies and da fox aw fwiends now!" Joan announced happily.

"That's right," Kristin said. "Even though they were scared of him at first, they found out they had a lot in common, right? They all love to sing and dance." She set the book on the table and turned to the gathered storytime group with her hands on her hips. "Now, do you think all that singing and dancing made the bunnies sleepy?"

"Yes!" they chorused.

"I think all those sleepy bunnies need to lie down and rest." She knelt, motioning for them to do the same. "Let's lie down like the sleepy bunnies." Most of the children, familiar with the song she was about to sing, followed her lead, lying down on the carpet.

"Go ahead, peanut," Mary urged. "Lie down."

Joan glanced back at her parents on the floor and the rest of her family in chairs behind them, and curled up on the carpet with the other kids.

"Okay," Kristin said, rising back to her knees. "Stay sleeping," she reminded them as a few started to get up as well. "Wait until it's time for the bunnies to get up." She started to sing, " _Look at all the bunnies sleeping till it's nearly noon, shall we wake them with a merry tune? Oh so still. Are they ill …?_ " With a big grin, she leapt up, motioning for the kids to do the same, and started to clap and hop in place. " _Wake up, wake up, wake up, little bunnies! Wake up, wake up, wake up, little bunnies!_ _Hop, little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! Hop, little bunnies, hop, hop, hop! Stop, little bunnies, stop, stop, stop, FREEZE!_ " She froze in place, as did the kids, some more quickly than others.

Joan giggled hysterically, looking back at her family.

"Freeze, Joanie," Steve said, grinning.

"I'm fweezing!" she said, holding both hands in the air and nearly vibrating with excitement.

Kristin smiled broadly. "Good job, little bunnies, shall we try it again?"

"Again, again!" a boy near Joan shrieked happily.

"Again!" Joan echoed, jumping in place.

"Okay, lie down," Kristin said. "Shhhhhh, sleeping bunnies, shhhhhh."

"Shhhh," several of the kids repeated as they lay down again.

"Here we go," Kristin began. " _Look at all the bunnies sleeping …_ "

* * *

After storytime, Catherine, Steve, and Elizabeth stood chatting with Kristin while Joan played at the LEGO table with Mary and Aaron.

"Thank you so much," Elizabeth said warmly. "That was wonderful. I'd forgotten how much fun storytime is."

Kristin smiled genuinely. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." She looked at Catherine and Steve. "And I hope you'll join us at our baby lapsit once Niblet finally makes her appearance. Mothers and fathers are welcome, as are grandparents and any other caregivers."

"Now those weren't so common years ago," Elizabeth said. "Do you sing nursery rhymes together and things like that?"

Kristin nodded. "Nursery rhymes, songs, and lots of bounces. We read books, of course, and it's also a great place to meet other parents and caregivers." She winced a little. "I know our current schedule isn't the best for working parents, but we're planning to expand our offerings to include more evening and weekend programs."

Catherine smiled. "That's great."

"We'll make the time," Steve said definitively.

"We've been reading to Niblet ever since you showed me all those great board books," Catherine told her. She smiled. "And she's already got a pretty full bookshelf in her room."

"That's great!" Kristin replied. She grinned. "And I have a feeling her library is going to grow pretty soon."

They looked at her curiously.

"Just a feeling," she said, trying to look innocent. "Anyway, I should get that storytime room picked up. Thanks again for coming." She smiled brightly. "Hopefully the next time I see you, it'll be with Niblet, too."

"Oh, it definitely will be," Catherine replied immediately. "Even if it means I have to eat a truckload of fresh pineapple …"

* * *

That afternoon after Elizabeth, Mary, Aaron, and Joan had returned to the condo, Jenna called to see if Catherine and Steve were up for a short visit from the Allens. Catherine, eager for the company, readily agreed, and the family arrived a short time later, all six with a book in hand.

"What's all this?" Catherine asked from her spot on the sofa, her feet resting on pillows placed on the coffee table. She started to shift so she could stand, but Jenna quickly waved her off.

"Don't get up, stay comfortable. The kids had an idea yesterday and, well, we were going to wait till after Niblet was born but since she's …"

"Since she's taking her sweet time?" Catherine provided, smiling resignedly as she rubbed her belly.

Jenna nodded sympathetically with a small smile. "Exactly. We couldn't wait, so we thought if you were up for it …"

"Please," Catherine said, glancing at Steve who nodded. "You've got us very curious."

"We've got books for Niblet!" Jacob announced, unable to contain the surprise any longer. "We got 'em from the library but you don't have to take them back. They're not that kind of library book."

"One of the prizes for the summer reading game this year was coupons to the library's Friendshop," Casey explained. "They sell books there real cheap. Books that used to be in the library or ones people donate."

Jenna nodded. "Kaitlyn had the idea to use their free book coupons to get books for Niblet."

"Ohh, that is incredibly sweet," Catherine said, tearing up immediately. "You didn't have to do that."

Kaitlyn smiled. "I thought it would be nice if Niblet had a special book from each of us."

"That is more than nice," Catherine said. "That is amazingly thoughtful." She held out her arms. "Come here, honey, I need a hug for that idea."

Smiling, Kaitlyn went over to Catherine's side and leaned down for a hug.

"Thank you," Catherine said. "That is so, so sweet of you." She looked at the others. "Of all of you."

"We were hoping we could all show you our books," Kaitlyn said, biting her lip hopefully.

"Oh yes, please," Catherine said sincerely. She ran a hand over her belly. "We'd love that."

Kaitlyn grinned eagerly. "Come sit by Aunt Catherine and Niblet, Uncle Steve," she said, motioning him over.

"Aye aye," he said with a wink, causing her to giggle.

"Some of them are for when Niblet is older," she continued, "but we thought that would be okay, too, 'cause she's always going to need books."

"That's right," Catherine agreed. "Now let's see what you've got."

"Can I go first?!" Jacob asked immediately, looking at his mother pleadingly. "Please please _please_ can I go first?"

Jenna glanced at Kaitlyn who nodded.

"I thought we could do youngest to oldest," she explained.

Steve nodded approvingly. "Very organized," he said. "Just like Gracie." He smiled. "And Aunt Catherine," he added, draping an arm behind her along the back of the sofa. "And your mother."

Kaitlyn smiled proudly at the comparison, seeming to stand an inch taller. She looked at her brother. "Okay, Jacob, go ahead."

"Let me guess," Steve cut in. "A minion book?" he teased.

"They didn't have any minion books there," Jacob replied seriously. "But don't worry, Uncle Steve, I'll make sure Niblet knows _all_ about the minions."

Steve chuckled. "I know you will, buddy. That is one thing I am definitely not worried about."

Cody snorted, and Steve threw him a quick smile before turning his attention back to Jacob.

"This book is about solving a crime so I thought it would be good since that's what you do, Uncle Steve," Jacob said. "And that's what you used to do, too, Aunt Catherine. So I thought Niblet would probably like it."

"That's probably a safe bet," Steve agreed with a smile.

"It's called _Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?_ , but don't worry, it's not really a bad guy who did it, it's the kangaroo's baby!"

"Dude, you just gave away the ending," Dylan said.

"Yeah, what if we wanted to solve the crime ourselves?" Steve teased.

Jacob's eyes widened. "Oops."

Catherine smiled. "It's okay, thank you for the book, Jacob. Come here and show us." She gestured to the empty spot on her other side. "Let's see this kangaroo baby."

"Kangaroo babies are called joeys," Kaitlyn said as they looked at the illustrations. "Even if it's a girl."

"That's right," Steve said.

"My book is about animal babies," she continued. "There's no joeys, but there are sooooo many cute babies, and it's like a guessing game for Niblet, see?" She held up the book _Whose Baby Am I?_ and opened to a page with a panda cub. " 'Whose baby am I?' " she read, then turned the page to reveal the cub with its mother. " 'I am a panda baby.' It should say 'panda cub' but the pictures were just so cute, I had to get it. And I figured, you probably know what all the baby animals are called, so you could tell Niblet the names while you read to her."

"And if we have any questions," Catherine said, smiling at her, "we'll ask you."

Kaitlyn smiled broadly, and Jenna squeezed her shoulder.

"Thank you, Kaitlyn," Catherine said.

"You're welcome." She looked at her brother. "Your turn, Dylan."

He cleared his throat, stepping over a little awkwardly. "Um … this is one of the ones for when she's older," he said, reaching across the coffee table to hand them the book. "I thought it'd be cool 'cause it's about a kid scientist. She asks questions and tries experiments and I like that 'cause that's how you figure things out."

" _Ada Twist, Scientist_ ," Catherine read.

"Oh yeah, and it rhymes," Dylan added. " 'Cause a lot of little kid books rhyme."

"I've noticed that," Steve admitted.

Dylan scratched the back of his neck. "So it's a little weird to read because of that, but … I still think it's good since it's about asking questions until you figure out the answer."

"I love that idea," Catherine said sincerely.

"Me, too," Steve agreed. "That's exactly what we want Niblet to do. Thank you, Dylan."

He smiled, pleased at their reactions, and looked at his older sister, eager to get out of 'presentation mode'.

Casey took his place in front of Steve and Catherine. She smiled. "I was really glad they had this book, because it was one of my favorites when I was a kid." She handed them _The Princess Knight_. "Girls get a lot of princess books, which I, um, didn't really like, till I read this one. She trains herself to ride a horse and joust and everything and shows everyone up at the tournament where the prize is supposed to be her hand in marriage. And, I mean, Niblet's your kid so she's gonna know she doesn't have to follow any stereotypes for what girls are supposed to be like, but … I think everyone needs to be reminded of that sometimes."

Catherine nodded earnestly. "I agree."

"Absolutely," Steve said.

"She sounds like Merida!" Jacob said excitedly.

"That's right," Catherine said, nudging Steve playfully. "So she should be one of your favorites."

He grinned.

"Cody, it's your turn," Kaitlyn said.

"Okay, mine is, uh, one I read when I was a kid, too. But I hadn't thought about it in a while. Not till I saw it yesterday at the Friendshop." He handed Steve and Catherine a paperback book, _The Relatives Came_. "The librarian at our school read it to our class when we were in, like, second grade or something, and I went and found it again later. I wondered if that was really what it was like, to have a bunch of family come visit, 'cause we didn't have that." He smiled softly at his mother to show he didn't blame or fault her for it. It was just a fact. "Reading it again … I thought about the Thanksgiving with the blanket forts, and camping together, and just … having all these people … _family_ … come to visit." He looked at Steve and Catherine and smiled. "It's special, and I'm really glad that Niblet is always going to know what that's like."

Catherine sniffed, wiping at the tears in her eyes, and Steve nodded to Cody.

"I know exactly what you mean," he said quietly, emotion catching in his own voice. He held up the book and nodded again. "Thank you, Cody."

He smiled softly. "You're welcome."

Jenna squeezed his arm, discretely wiping her own tears.

She took a deep breath and smiled at all her children, then turned to Steve and Catherine. "Last but not least," she said with a little grin. "Someone gave me this book when I had Kaitlyn, and I used to read it so much that I knew it by heart. I used to say the words to her and then later to Jacob, and I always wished it had been published back when my older kids were babies …" She handed Catherine and Steve the book, _Only You_. "My copy's long gone, of course, so it seemed like fate when I found this yesterday. It may sound simple, but it just rang so true for me. When it's your baby, you love every finger and toe, every stretch and yawn. You memorize them all because they're all special and perfect."

Catherine smiled, sighing happily as she turned the pages. "This is so lovely." She looked up at her friend. "Thank you, Jenna, so much." She looked around at all the Allens. "Thank you all, this was just incredible. To hear why you picked each book out, knowing how much thought you put into them … that makes them so much more special."

Steve nodded. "It really does." He looked at each of them in turn. "Niblet's really lucky to have you all in her life. We know you're all going to be really important to her as she grows up."

Catherine reached for his hand where it lay across her shoulder. "That's right." She smiled. "And you know what she'd really like right now?"

"What?" Kaitlyn asked.

"She'd really like it if you'd all read your books to her. Right here." She smiled at Jacob still sitting beside her. "Jacob's had a lot of practice reading to Niblet, and I think it's time everyone else did, too."

Jenna smiled. "Might be a nice distraction for you."

"Not a distraction, exactly, I don't think anything can distract me at this point," Catherine said wryly, "but I can't think of a better way to pass the time while we wait for Niblet to be ready." She smiled. "And who knows, maybe this will convince her it's time to come out so you can all read to her in person."

Steve squeezed her hand.

"So what do you say?" Catherine asked.

Kaitlyn smiled excitedly, looking around. "I say, who wants to start?"

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Books mentioned:**

 _Everybunny Dance!_ by Ellie Sandall (McElderry Books, 2017)

 _Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?_ by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt, 2008)

 _Whose Baby Am I?_ by John Butler (Viking, 2001)

 _Ada Twist, Scientist_ by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts (Abrams, 2016)

 _The Princess Knight_ by Cornelia Funke and illustrated by Kerstin Meyer (Chicken House, 2001)

 _The Relatives Came_ by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Bradbury, 1986)

 _Only You_ by Robin Cruise and illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Harcourt, 2007)

The **REAL World Baby Marathon** is in full swing and we are positively GIDDY at how excited you all are!

We'll post a story a day through July 10th, and we promise Niblet will be born before then ;-)

In the meantime, feel free to continue sending guesses on the birth date and baby name for our **REAL World Baby Pool**. You can even change your guess if you want!

We can tell you that someone came verrrrrrry close guessing Niblet's name and someone has the birth date spot on!

Leave your guesses in a review, send us an email (realmcroll ), post a comment here on our Tumblr page, or tweet Mari ( Mari21763) with the hashtag #REALMcRollBaby.

 **We can't wait to hear from you!**


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